Existing Equitas Holdings shareholders to get 60% ownership in Equitas Small Finance Bank

MUMBAI: Equitas Holdings, is planning to offer 60% ownership of Equitas Small Finance Bank to its existing shareholders so that there would be no dilution in shareholders value.

"That's the intent," said PN Vasudevan, managing director of the bank. "We have created a committee to work out a Scheme of Arrangement and Reconstruction," he said.

The bank plans to list its shares by September 2019 as directed by Reserve Bank of India, without going for an initial public offer.

The holding company will ultimately be reverse merged with the bank, the company said in a stock exchange filing.

"Equitas Holdings Ltd plans to dilute up to 60% of its holdings in the bank in favour of its existing shareholders and to remain a non-operating core investment company till such time that it gets regulatory approvals to merge with the bank," the company said after its board meeting Friday.

The committee is mandated to evaluate various options including the Scheme of Arrangement and Reconstruction under relevant provisions of Companies Act, 2013 subject to compliance with Income Tax Act and other statutory and regulatory requirements.

RBI has recently directed Equitas and Ujjivan to list their respective banks' shares within three years of commencement of banking.

Equitas Holdings has two wholly owned subsidiaries under it -- the bank and Equitas Technologies Private Ltd, which is engaged in the business of freight aggregation.

Meanwhile, Equitas Small Finance Bank said its net profit for the September quarter grew neary five-fold to Rs 49.7 crore from Rs 10.9 crore in the year ago period.